Jacob

American  

[jey-kuhb, zha-kawb] / ˈdʒeɪ kəb, ʒaˈkɔb /

noun

1. (in the Bible) the second son of Isaac, the twin brother of Esau, and father of the 12 patriarchs.

2. François 1920–2013, French geneticist: Nobel Prize in Medicine 1965.

3. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “supplanter.”

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Jacob British  

/ ˈdʒeɪkəb /

noun

1. Old Testament the son of Isaac, twin brother of Esau, and father of the twelve patriarchs of Israel

2. Also called: Jacob sheep.  any of an ancient breed of sheep having a fleece with dark brown patches and two or four horns

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Jacob Scientific  

/ zhä-kôb′ /

1. French geneticist who studied how genes control cellular activity by directing the synthesis of proteins. With Jacques Monod, he theorized that there are genes that regulate the activity of other, neighboring genes. They also proposed the existence of messenger RNA.

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Etymology

Origin of Jacob

sense 2 in allusion to Genesis 30:40

Example Sentences

“A younger liver helps you survive that disease or recover from it much better than an old one would,” said Jacob Kimmel, NewLimit’s newly appointed chief executive.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Some fans have also said its stars like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi have outgrown the drama, with seasons one and two coming out in 2019 and 2022.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

In addition to Zendaya, who has won two Emmy awards for her performance as Rue, the cast included Hunter Schafer, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 1, 2026

SpaceX is projected to enter nearly every major U.S. equity index within about three weeks of trading, according to Jacob Friedman, an investment manager at Focused Wealth Management.

From MarketWatch • May 29, 2026

“You don’t understand! You’ll only make it worse! Jacob, please! You don’t understand!”

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen